Bakkies Botha will lead a well balanced Vodacom Bulls team into battle against the Stormers at Newland on Saturday. The first time captain will be followed onto the field by two debutants at this level, with Deon Helberg and Gerrit-Jan van Velze making Super debuts in a team that see 14 changes from the starting line-up of the side that beat the Crusaders 40-35 at Loftus Versfeld last weekend.
With the Bulls already assured of a first place finish on the Vodacom Super 14 log and a home semi-final next week, coach Frans Ludeke , opted for the luxury of resting his regular starting XV and giving remaining squad members and some newcomers to this level a chance to show their worth.
Only Jacques-Louis Potgieter started against the Crusaders (at centre), but now moves to his favourite fly-half position, while regular impact players like Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Pedrie Wannenburg, Derick Kuün, Flip van der Merwe, Bandise Maku and Bees Roux will earn starts.
Tiger Mangweni, De Wet Barry, Chiliboy Ralepelle and Dean Greyling, who all have Super 14 experience but have not played in the competition this year, will get a chance to add caps to their Super Rugby tally.
Botha expressed delight at being given the captaincy and said his team talk will be a simple one. “Play for the jersey. It stands for a lot of things and respect what it has achieved,” said Botha, who last captained the SA Schools side way back in 1998.
Coach Frans Ludeke said he picked the best available side for the occasion. “We had to rest some of our senior players, who have played all the matches this year and up to 960 minutes of rugby.
It is a good mix of experience and youth and also pays justice to our youth structures,” Ludeke said.
The team (with Super Caps) is:Tiger Mangweni (9), Jaco van der Westhuyzen (51), Stephan Dippenaar (11), De Wet Barry (78), Deon Helberg* (0), Jacques-Louis Potgieter (29), Heini Adams (35), Pedrie Wannenburg (110), Gerrit-Jan van Velze(0)*, Derick Kuün (53), Bakkies Botha (85, c), Flip van der Merwe (16), Bees Roux (28), Bandise Maku (18), Jaco Engels (39). Replacements: Chiliboy Ralepelle (18), Dean Greyling (2), Fudge Mabeta (1), Okkie Kruger (0)*, Ruan Snyman (0)*, Francois Brummer (0)*, Stefan Watermeyer (0)*. *First Super 14 match. Notes:
• Tiger Mangweni will start in his first Bulls match, but played for the Vodacom Stormers (2, 2005) and the Vodacom Cheetahs (7, 2007) in previous campaigns.
• De Wet Barry will start in his first Bulls match, but played for the Vodacom Stormers from 2000-2007 and earned 78 caps. He did play for the Bulls against the Lions in a friendly match in Polokwane in January.
• Deon Helberg will start in his first Bulls match after making his Vodacom Cup debut earlier this season. He also represented South Africa in the International Rugby Board’s World Sevens Series.
• Gerrit-Jan van Velze will start in his first Bulls match after captaining the Vodacom Cup side to the Vodacom Cup last week. The former World Junior Player of the Year nominee played in the Absa Currie Cup for the Bulls in 2009.
• Okkie Kruger, Ruan Snyman, Francois Brummer and Stefan Watermeyer will all earn first Super 14 caps if they come off the bench on Saturday.
• Mangweni, Helberg, Van Velze, Engels, Ralepelle, Greyling, Mabeta, Kruger, Snyman, Brummer en Watermeyer were all in the starting XV of the Blue Bulls side that won the Vodacom Cup final against the Free State last weekend.
I believe the semi-s will be Bulls / Saders and Stormers / Waratahs
@31 Will be easier for the stormers in my opinion and more risky for the Bulls. Prefer the bulls face the Tahs or Canes….
Only 10 Super 14 games left for the year…
Then comes the real business. Moering the kiwis and ozzies in the tri-nations!!!!!!!!!!!!
Evening guys (and girls?)
I don’t understand why there is a moan about the Bulls resting key players. They do the intelligent thing (note I didn’t say right or correct thing). Whether they win or lose against the Stormers is neither here nor there. All the pressure this weekend will be on the Stormers while the key Bulls-players rest. Next weekend (say) the Stormers have another tough game and (say) they go through they have to play the Bulls, rested and fired up.
Whoever wants to win the S14 title will have to go and fetch it in Orlando. Orlando is not on the other side of the Jukskie River, the only drawback for the Bulls.
28 – gbs, Only last week they never started strong. (Stormers) This week they will come out like a cracker. My feeling.
Saders win then have to travel back here to play at altitude they will never win. They will be out of it long before the last 20min.
I think Brumbies are coming 😀
Now to think Canes or Tahs. Still have not done my picks. Will do them tomorrow. Asked too many now and everyone thinks Saders and Tahs. Then some thought different. So have to think about this one.
Catch up later. Going to eat dinner now.
35@ Boel – Hello
What do you think of the Bulls team which was announced though?
Do you think it will be plain sailing for the Stormers and an easy win?
35 – Boerboel…hahaha. I have not seen one Stormer supporter complain about Bulls resting their full strength side….hehehe.
Serious I think everyteam in the world would have done that if they were that far ahead on the log.
Orlando is still altitude. Makes no difference there support only have to drive about 40km. No big deal. They will come believe me they will come. Maybe some from Soweto will too and they will support the Bulls. So it is a advantage that.
Your team will be in the semi. Good luck to them Boerboel. Will be supporting them in the semi. Then if the make it and Bulls make it. Will be neutral in the final.
34 – Turk, You are right. Can not wait.
Okay back later.
38 – there = their
The Preview thread tomorrow will be challenging… difficult choices
Blues should beat the Chiefs
Waratahs / Canes – extremely difficult
Sharks should beat the Force
Saders / Brumbies – extremely difficult
Reds should beat the Landers
Cheetahs should beat the Lions
Stormers should beat the Bulls
eVENING ALL
Bulls break certain protocol for me, i hope we dont pay for it and the chances they take will be lauded in future years to come.
We never before rested a whole team, we played them into hardened campaigners who could ran through a wall for you. OK 1 week cant get you rusted so badly? Can it?
Then the mental thing, some would say we might win with the B, most feel we gift them the game. But for me it is more than a gifted game if it turn out that way, it is giving the mental edge away.
If we bruised, crushed them and they were eliminated , the message would be plain and simple , the Bulls demolished the 2nd best team…. so what chance do we(semi final opponent) stand?
That is why i say we might pay dearly for this one.
Last week i showed how the Bulls ended their last 4 years in S14, it was LWWWW and then semi… why they needed to rest now???
Hope it is something new and improves us. Time will tell.
GBS, the Bulls have so much depth that they could have sent the Vodacom Team and be competitive. The Stormers will win, they better as I’ll be there in the box! But, they will have a run for their money.
This is how the 4 top teams will end:
Bulls 51
Hurricanes 42
Stormers 40
Crusaders 40
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